The badge higher up in the middle of the radiator looks like VSCC and the car itself looks like a fabric saloon.

Location: Stretham, Ely

Now that you mention it Lance, that does appear to be a VSCC badge - if so, I wonder if their records will hold any information on the car - unfortunately I'm not a member of the VSCC. I suppose there's always the possibility the car's been sold abroad and therefore lost its UK registration.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

I have noticed several Austin Sevens over the years in VSCC events which have not appeared on the A7CA chassis register. I rebuilt an early '29 rolling chassis and sold it about twenty years ago which has since become yet another "Ulster" in the VSCC. It was registered VE 561 and still does not appear on the list.
Your photo is a good one Jeff and is difficult to date, I can only guess at 1950's? although I think the VSCC was formed in 1930, this feels much later.

Location: Stretham, Ely

It looks as though the tax disc is the style introduced in 1961, while I doubt that even in Blaydon the young chap on the right could have got away with that "look" much after 1963!

Location: Herefordshire, with an "E", not a "T"!

I'd go along with your thoughts on the date Lance, the guy on the right looks to me reminiscent of the 1950's. I remember the station well from the 1960's and had the photo been pre-war I think the station canopies would have been in a better state of repair than they appear from the photo. Had the large hoarding poster been clearer, I may have been able to date the photo from that - looks to be an image of a crinoline type lady - possibly Horner's Dainty Dinah Toffees?

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

That being the case Martin then perhaps the car's taking part in the celebrations to mark the centenary of the Blaydon Races which took place in the summer of 1962 - it included a pageant of vintage cars and floats and was quite an occasion. I was unfortunately away on holiday with my parents at the time so wasn't there to see it. If true, the car was obviously in the hands of enthusiasts then, I wonder what's happened to it since? The registration number isn't currently on another car, so that would seem to rule out a transfer. Has it been sold abroad perhaps? - only the chassis number could confirm that.

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Found it, it did take part in the Blaydon Races Centenary Celebrations in 1962. It can be seen in colour in this BFI film at 06.43 minutes in - the fabric covering being blue and those wheels bright red. The rather nice primrose coloured Austin Heavy Twelve Tourer seen at 07.02 in, was at that time on permanent display in the showrooms of Murray and Charleton, the Austin / BMC dealership on Chain Bridge Road in Blaydon - not sure where it is now.

http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-centenary-of-blaydon-races-1862-1962-1962/

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Good work Jeff. Might it be possible to find any local records which have a list of participants in the centenary celebrations? The photograph looks as if it might be from a newspaper report, so that might be another lead. Perhaps the VSCC has records of members from that period and that area as it is a locally registered car?
I bet it's languishing in a garage or barn somewhere up there, waiting for you to find it!

Location: Stretham, Ely

The VSCC do have records that go back a long way but everything is recorded against a member's name. So, any attempt to trace the car with the VSCC would need the name of the member who owned it as a starting point. The records in more recent years are stored electronically and so can be searched but records from as far back as this are paper based and archived. To search those is a significant task. In addition, car details weren't considered quite so important back in the 1950's - 60's as they are now so it may well be that even if the owner's name was known, it might be that the specific car record doesn't, now, exist.

Steve

Location: North Yorkshire

I was at the 1962 Bladon Races with my mum and dad. I remember them admiring an Austin 7, presumably this one. I bet there's a photograph of it somewhere in my mothers house. However, I was much more taken with a red Riley 9 Brooklands. Funny how things turn out.

From around the mid 1960's to 1970's there was Driving School based in Blaydon owned by a chap called Ray Hornsby, he owned a number of early Sevens and one or two other vintage cars - I've no idea what happened to them all, though I've a feeling he sold them before he died, which was quite some years ago. Whether he might have owned this one in 1962, I've no idea, though it's a possibility. A fellow North East restorer / owner of Austin 7's back in the 1960's / 70's was of course George Nicholson of Washington - another possibility.

The car was locally registered as at that time Blaydon, situated on the south bank of the Tyne was within County Durham whereas the land on the north bank of the Tyne was Northumberland.

I've an Official Centenary Brochure somewhere, but that was published sometime prior to the event and as far as I can recall doesn't mention the participants in the car run. However you would think there'd be records somewhere listing the car owners - needs further investigation !

Think I've got more chance of winning the Euro Lottery tonight than finding the car !

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

That's interesting Alan, had I not been on holiday with my parents in Tenby, I too would have been there with my mum and dad ! My late father had been heavily involved in Blaydon Co-operative Society's preparations for the Centenary celebrations and I think he was determined not to be around when the event took place !

The red Riley 9 Brooklands registered WD 3648 features at 06:46 in, interestingly it's directly behind the Seven. Surprisingly though the Riley 9's also gone to ground or exported abroad - mycarcheck showing "The registration number you entered doesn't exist in our database."

Re the Seven, I think it's being driven by a woman.



Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

If it is a 1929 fabric saloon then it should be correctly designated as a Fabric Saloon Type RF. Introduced in circa August 1928, an estimated 13,000 were produced with around sixty known survivors.

Location: Melton Mowbray

All this talk of Blaydon Races is filling my head with this!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PrMaVjHS74&index=3&list=PL6sM6oWbmYRqFx5vfTSJyikJPvf3T6tuY

Ah, that's Lindisfarne is it not? I used to go to the same folk club as they did, before they were famous. Later, when they were, they played at my University. One of them (Alan Hull) asked me how I was and where I'd been, which stood me in good stead with the girl I was with at the time.

I remember Lindisfarne coming to Queen's Hall in Bradford when I was a student there in 1979/80, 50p entry and there was a sprung dance floor which if you stood still when everyone was dancing, you would spill your beer!

Location: Stretham, Ely

The Barrowlands in Glasgow has a sprung floor and does the very same!